Automatic signal for vehicles.



U. KOCH. AUTOMATIC SIGNAL FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

WITNESSES w ATTORNEYS C. KOCH. AUTOMATIC SIGNAL FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12, 1914. 1,1 $9,691 Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHBET 2.

WITNESSES IIVI/E/V TOR 67ZarZeJ' Lfach ,4 TTORA/EVS CHARLES KOCH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AUTOMATIC SIGNAL FOR VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 253, 1915.

Application filed may 12, 1914. Serial No. 838,106.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES K0011, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the' county and State of New York, have-invented a new and Improved Automatic Signal for Vehicles, of which the following 1s a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to vehicles and has particular reference to signaling devices therefor. i

One of the objects of the invention is to provide for avehicle such, for instance, as an automobile, a rear end signal adapted to be operated automatically in connectionwith some of the usual controlling elements of the machine.

More definitely stated, this invention comprehends the employment of an automobile chassis having any ordinary or improvedA-driving and controlling devices which, per so, have no special bearing upon this invention, and "having at its rear end a signal device either in the form of an arm for daylight use or made effective simultaneously with the manipulation of any of the usual control devices, and hence requiring no special thought 'on the part of the chauffeur.

The foregoing and other objectsof the' invention will hereinafter be more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the drawings forming a part of this specification in which 'like characters of reference "indicate; corresponding parts in all the views, and in which- Figure l is a side elevation of sufficient of an automobile chassis to illustrate the nature of the invention; Fig. 2' is a plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is a detail view on the line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a view of the signal mechanism corresponding to Fig. 1 but on a larger scale; Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 4, certain of theparts being shown in changed.

position in dotted lines; and Fig. 6 is a detail of the detachable signal yoke connection.

The several parts of the device may be made of any suitable materials, and the relative sizes and proportions, as well as the general design of the mechanism, may

be varied to a considerable extent without departing from the spirit of the invention a lamp for night use,

hereinaftermore fully set cifically'claimed. a Referring more particularly to the drawmgs I show at 10 a fragme'lit of a chassis supported upon wheels 11, and indicating a power shaft, 12; I also show a conventional form of clutch device 13 associated with the power shaft and motor.

At 14 is shown a rock shaft to, which is connected a fork 15 adapted to control the forth and speshifting of the clutch 13, and said rock shaft is adapted to be operated by means of a foot lever 16 of any suitable .or conventional construction and'operation. I attach to the lever 16 an actuating; rod 17, the same extending thence rearwardly and guided at its-rear end through a cross bar 18 of the chassis.

At 19 I indicate a foot brake lever having a rod 20 leading rearwardly to a rock shaft 21 whereby the brake elements 22 will be controlled in the usual manner. For emergency purposes I show also, ahand lever 23 having a rod 24 connected for control of the brake elements either independentlv of or in connection with the foot brake lever 19. The bars 20 and 24 operate in vertical planes substantially parallel to that of the bar 17 and preferably on opposite sidesthereof.

Having reference particularly to Fig. 3,

I provide a sleeve 25 loosely mounted upon the rod 17 and slidable longitudinally there-l.

of within certain limits The rod 17} is threaded at 17, and nuts 26 located thereon are adapted to abut against therear end of the sleeve 25 under normal conditions, At

27 I show a collar adjustably secured upon the sleeve and spaced rearwardly from a single collar 28likewi-se secured to the sleeve adjacent the front end thereof. The rear end of the sleeve is threaded and has locked thereto a laterally projecting arm 29. The

foot brake rod 20 has an arm 30 secured thereto and extending laterally therefrom into loose engagement with the rear face of the collar 27.. Likewise the rod 24 has secured to it an arm 31 bearing loosely against the rear face of the collar 28.

From the mechanism thus far described it will be understood that the forward movement of the clutch lever rod 17 will cause, through the nuts 26, a forward thrust of the sleeve 25 and'a forward movement of the arm 29. The forward movement of either of the rods 20 and 24 will cause, through the arm 30 or 31, as the case'maybe, a forward movement of the sleeve 25 whether 'the rod 17, ismov'd or not, and' hence the arm 29 will likewise be given a forward impulse.

As a suitable illustration of the signaladapted to be moved into or out of aline? ment with said window. The normal position of the screen is shown in full lines in Figs. 4'and'5, uncovering the window.

t 36 I showa bell crank journaled on a horizontal pivot 37 in front of the lamp casing, the longer arm of which extends nor .mally vertically and largely secluded by the lamp casing. The shorter arm 36 of the bell crank extends normally downwardly and outwardly from the pivot 37 and has connected to it a link 38 pivoted at its lower end to a bell crank 39 journaled on a horizontal pivot 40, and whose other arm is connected by means of a forwardly extending rod 41 to the aforesaidlaterally projecting arm 29. The screen 35 issupported upon a yoke 42detachabl'y connected by means of a screw 43 constituting the pivot connection between the bell crank 36 and the link 38.

When the arm 29 is moved forwardly; by any of the means aforesaid, causing the rod 41 to 'move forwardly, the bell crank 39 swinging around its pivot 40 will push forwardly upon the link 38, causing the movenient of the bell crank or signal arm 36 inwardly and downwardly from the normal position shown in Figs. 4 and 5 to the dotted line position of Fig. .5, indicating to any personin the rear of the vehicle that the vehicle'is about to stop. Said arm 36 may. be equipped with any desired legend or it,

may indicate by a peculiar color or otherwise the fact indicated. Simultaneously with the movement of the bell crank the screen 35 will be moved upwardly and cause the lamp to glow with a danger color. -For daylight use the screen 35 may be arranged in any desired position by unscrewing the pivot arm 43 which holds the yoke 42 in place. It will be observed,"therefore, that the controlling devices, looking toward the shutting oif-of the power connection or the setting of; the brakes under the usual conditions, operate automatically and without spec al attention on the part of the driver ioi display the desired signal. The restorafiiimbf the control devices to running condition? will set the sleeve 25 free .to allow the [return of the signal device to normal posi-.

tion under the influence of a spring 44 located' at any. desired place as, for instance,

between the arm 29, and the cross bar 13.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent I v 1. Ina device of the character set forth,

the combination with a vehicle and a series of independently operable control devices including rods arranged in parallel vertical I planes, of a rear end signal device, a sleeve mounted upon one of said control rods and movable forwardly along the same, a laterally projecting arm secured to said sleeve, connections between saidarm and said signal device, and means between said sleeve and each of the control rods for the operation of the sleeve and signal device upon the operation of any one of'the control devices independently of the others.

2; The combination with a vehicle frame and a series of control devices therefor ineluding a plurality of rods arranged in vertical planes parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, of a rear end' signal device, a

sleeve loosely mounted upon the intermedi'-,

ate control. rod and movable forwardly" thereon, an arm rigidly connected to the rear end of said sleeve and extending lat erally, therefrom, connections between said arm and said signal device through which the signal device is made efi'ective'simultaneously with the forward movement of the sleeve, means on the rear end of said rod on which said sleeve is mounted for direct engagement-with therear end of the sleeve, spaced collars adjustably secured on the front end of the sleeve, and an arm rigidly connected to each of the side control rods and having loose slidable engagement with the rear face of one of said collars, substantially as set forth. i t

In testimony whereof I have. signed my name to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

2 CHARLES KOCH.

Witnesses:

GEQ. L. Bnnmm, Pn mze D. RoLLHAUs.

Washington, D. .0.

Copies ot this patent may be'obtalnd for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, 

